Spotlighting Pan-African Poetry

Biography

The Rebel in You

The Rebel in You

The Rebel in You

I want to be that voice in your head
that reverberates against convention
bellowing heavier and more poisonous than lead
in high pitched decibels cracking away at your apprehension
and lyrically coating your neural pathways
so you are connecting the dots in rhythm
and your thoughts carry you to a non-conformist ascension.

I want to be those tears forming in your eyes
that contain stories of resistance
to normative triggers in your tear glands
because each tear you shed is an emblem of your persistence
and the warm, salty trickle
carving invisible gorges down your face
remains an historical residue of your perseverance.

I want to be that bead of sweat collecting on your upper lip
that you let be to dry off at its own whim
or keep forming like morning dew on a leaf
because wiping if off would be a greater sin
than letting it gather as natural evidence
of the fervor and passion circulating within
rather than the dread and anxiety they believe in.

I want to be that single triple thump thump in your heart
that doctors believe is an arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat
yet you and I know that normality is overrated.

I want to be that clench in your fist
that fist at the bottom of your arms
that raises and divides water bodies.

I want to be that intense emotion that raises hair on your skin
that skin so thick
it chooses to fight when confronted with the possibility of flight.

I want to be that spasm in your neck
that sudden and uncontrollable contraction
that jolts you back into rebelliousness
stressing your near conforming muscle
back into six packs of defiance
lest your muscle memory forget
the radical gene you carry.

I want to be that vein that carries the revolutionary blood in you.
I want to be that rebel in you.

The Rebel in You

I want to be that voice in your head
that reverberates against convention
bellowing heavier and more poisonous than lead
in high pitched decibels cracking away at your apprehension
and lyrically coating your neural pathways
so you are connecting the dots in rhythm
and your thoughts carry you to a non-conformist ascension.

I want to be those tears forming in your eyes
that contain stories of resistance
to normative triggers in your tear glands
because each tear you shed is an emblem of your persistence
and the warm, salty trickle
carving invisible gorges down your face
remains an historical residue of your perseverance.

I want to be that bead of sweat collecting on your upper lip
that you let be to dry off at its own whim
or keep forming like morning dew on a leaf
because wiping if off would be a greater sin
than letting it gather as natural evidence
of the fervor and passion circulating within
rather than the dread and anxiety they believe in.

I want to be that single triple thump thump in your heart
that doctors believe is an arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat
yet you and I know that normality is overrated.

I want to be that clench in your fist
that fist at the bottom of your arms
that raises and divides water bodies.

I want to be that intense emotion that raises hair on your skin
that skin so thick
it chooses to fight when confronted with the possibility of flight.

I want to be that spasm in your neck
that sudden and uncontrollable contraction
that jolts you back into rebelliousness
stressing your near conforming muscle
back into six packs of defiance
lest your muscle memory forget
the radical gene you carry.

I want to be that vein that carries the revolutionary blood in you.
I want to be that rebel in you.

Billene “Bilu” Seyoum

Featured Poem:

I Understand

Featured Poem:

I Understand

I understand that the forces that brought us together
Carry an intention much more elaborate than I can ever comprehend
That the day I felt your piercing gaze upon me
I knew that it was a journey I had to take.

I understand that the pains and pleasures of my past
Carry a truth my experiences of today in relation to you
Cannot be defined upon.

That the day I invited you to be you and you invited me to create together
I knew that I meant I had to dive into oceans unknown without a life jacket
And I dived first into a cove of emotions
That brought to surface my vulnerabilities and insecurities and countless uncertainties
In recognition that I am a microcosm of simple complexities.

So when you ask me to swim to places
I have thought of flowing to yet never thought that those thoughts would come true
But just like the Alchemist’s dreams would be a possibility to escape to
Then I become the pearl-less and pearl-full oyster that clamps close form fear
Teasing myself to be fearless, to being to fear less
Yet bookended between the polarities of an eternal optimist and a once wounded pessimist
Wondering if your realization of my grounded instability would make you love me less.

I understand that to love you means to allow myself to risk suspension
In between the grays
Avoid running for the comfort of the black or white only days
Yet my confirmation to this invitation
Is also a response suspended in grays
For my colored words would give the impression that I have risen
Above all the emotions that make me human when in truth
I am simply a complex work in progress

I understand that while I choose to enter the space of authentic expressions
I am also a mere mortal conditioned to love only in one way

I understand that the heart is elastic and its ability to love more
should not be curbed but celebrated
yet I am simply a complex woman in love who would rather hear
that there was only room for me.

But I understand
Because to love you means to let you be
The person that your heart wills you to be.

I understand that the forces that brought us together
Carry an intention much more elaborate than I can ever comprehend
That the day I felt your piercing gaze upon me
I knew that it was a journey I had to take.

I understand that the pains and pleasures of my past
Carry a truth my experiences of today in relation to you
Cannot be defined upon.

That the day I invited you to be you and you invited me to create together
I knew that I meant I had to dive into oceans unknown without a life jacket
And I dived first into a cove of emotions
That brought to surface my vulnerabilities and insecurities and countless uncertainties
In recognition that I am a microcosm of simple complexities.

So when you ask me to swim to places
I have thought of flowing to yet never thought that those thoughts would come true
But just like the Alchemist’s dreams would be a possibility to escape to
Then I become the pearl-less and pearl-full oyster that clamps close form fear
Teasing myself to be fearless, to being to fear less
Yet bookended between the polarities of an eternal optimist and a once wounded pessimist
Wondering if your realization of my grounded instability would make you love me less.

I understand that to love you means to allow myself to risk suspension
In between the grays
Avoid running for the comfort of the black or white only days
Yet my confirmation to this invitation
Is also a response suspended in grays
For my colored words would give the impression that I have risen
Above all the emotions that make me human when in truth
I am simply a complex work in progress

I understand that while I choose to enter the space of authentic expressions
I am also a mere mortal conditioned to love only in one way

I understand that the heart is elastic and its ability to love more
should not be curbed but celebrated
yet I am simply a complex woman in love who would rather hear
that there was only room for me.

But I understand
Because to love you means to let you be
The person that your heart wills you to be.

Comments

Biography

Billene “Bilu” Seyoum – avid word lover and travel enthusiast has been splashing words to paper since the age of twelve capturing her experiences of faces, places and spaces. Her poetry aims to take listeners and readers on a journey of re-imagining different imaginings of everyday existence. Having lived in five countries and traveled wide, Bilu’s poetry embraces her global identity.

Billene “Bilu” Seyoum

Biography

Billene “Bilu” Seyoum – avid word lover and travel enthusiast has been splashing words to paper since the age of twelve capturing her experiences of faces, places and spaces. Her poetry aims to take listeners and readers on a journey of re-imagining different imaginings of everyday existence. Having lived in five countries and traveled wide, Bilu’s poetry embraces her global identity.

The Rebel in You

The Rebel in You

The Rebel in You

I want to be that voice in your head
that reverberates against convention
bellowing heavier and more poisonous than lead
in high pitched decibels cracking away at your apprehension
and lyrically coating your neural pathways
so you are connecting the dots in rhythm
and your thoughts carry you to a non-conformist ascension.

I want to be those tears forming in your eyes
that contain stories of resistance
to normative triggers in your tear glands
because each tear you shed is an emblem of your persistence
and the warm, salty trickle
carving invisible gorges down your face
remains an historical residue of your perseverance.

I want to be that bead of sweat collecting on your upper lip
that you let be to dry off at its own whim
or keep forming like morning dew on a leaf
because wiping if off would be a greater sin
than letting it gather as natural evidence
of the fervor and passion circulating within
rather than the dread and anxiety they believe in.

I want to be that single triple thump thump in your heart
that doctors believe is an arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat
yet you and I know that normality is overrated.

I want to be that clench in your fist
that fist at the bottom of your arms
that raises and divides water bodies.

I want to be that intense emotion that raises hair on your skin
that skin so thick
it chooses to fight when confronted with the possibility of flight.

I want to be that spasm in your neck
that sudden and uncontrollable contraction
that jolts you back into rebelliousness
stressing your near conforming muscle
back into six packs of defiance
lest your muscle memory forget
the radical gene you carry.

I want to be that vein that carries the revolutionary blood in you.
I want to be that rebel in you.

The Rebel in You

I want to be that voice in your head
that reverberates against convention
bellowing heavier and more poisonous than lead
in high pitched decibels cracking away at your apprehension
and lyrically coating your neural pathways
so you are connecting the dots in rhythm
and your thoughts carry you to a non-conformist ascension.

I want to be those tears forming in your eyes
that contain stories of resistance
to normative triggers in your tear glands
because each tear you shed is an emblem of your persistence
and the warm, salty trickle
carving invisible gorges down your face
remains an historical residue of your perseverance.

I want to be that bead of sweat collecting on your upper lip
that you let be to dry off at its own whim
or keep forming like morning dew on a leaf
because wiping if off would be a greater sin
than letting it gather as natural evidence
of the fervor and passion circulating within
rather than the dread and anxiety they believe in.

I want to be that single triple thump thump in your heart
that doctors believe is an arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat
yet you and I know that normality is overrated.

I want to be that clench in your fist
that fist at the bottom of your arms
that raises and divides water bodies.

I want to be that intense emotion that raises hair on your skin
that skin so thick
it chooses to fight when confronted with the possibility of flight.

I want to be that spasm in your neck
that sudden and uncontrollable contraction
that jolts you back into rebelliousness
stressing your near conforming muscle
back into six packs of defiance
lest your muscle memory forget
the radical gene you carry.

I want to be that vein that carries the revolutionary blood in you.
I want to be that rebel in you.

Featured Poem:

I Understand

Featured Poem:

I Understand

I understand that the forces that brought us together
Carry an intention much more elaborate than I can ever comprehend
That the day I felt your piercing gaze upon me
I knew that it was a journey I had to take.

I understand that the pains and pleasures of my past
Carry a truth my experiences of today in relation to you
Cannot be defined upon.

That the day I invited you to be you and you invited me to create together
I knew that I meant I had to dive into oceans unknown without a life jacket
And I dived first into a cove of emotions
That brought to surface my vulnerabilities and insecurities and countless uncertainties
In recognition that I am a microcosm of simple complexities.

So when you ask me to swim to places
I have thought of flowing to yet never thought that those thoughts would come true
But just like the Alchemist’s dreams would be a possibility to escape to
Then I become the pearl-less and pearl-full oyster that clamps close form fear
Teasing myself to be fearless, to being to fear less
Yet bookended between the polarities of an eternal optimist and a once wounded pessimist
Wondering if your realization of my grounded instability would make you love me less.

I understand that to love you means to allow myself to risk suspension
In between the grays
Avoid running for the comfort of the black or white only days
Yet my confirmation to this invitation
Is also a response suspended in grays
For my colored words would give the impression that I have risen
Above all the emotions that make me human when in truth
I am simply a complex work in progress

I understand that while I choose to enter the space of authentic expressions
I am also a mere mortal conditioned to love only in one way

I understand that the heart is elastic and its ability to love more
should not be curbed but celebrated
yet I am simply a complex woman in love who would rather hear
that there was only room for me.

But I understand
Because to love you means to let you be
The person that your heart wills you to be.

I understand that the forces that brought us together
Carry an intention much more elaborate than I can ever comprehend
That the day I felt your piercing gaze upon me
I knew that it was a journey I had to take.

I understand that the pains and pleasures of my past
Carry a truth my experiences of today in relation to you
Cannot be defined upon.

That the day I invited you to be you and you invited me to create together
I knew that I meant I had to dive into oceans unknown without a life jacket
And I dived first into a cove of emotions
That brought to surface my vulnerabilities and insecurities and countless uncertainties
In recognition that I am a microcosm of simple complexities.

So when you ask me to swim to places
I have thought of flowing to yet never thought that those thoughts would come true
But just like the Alchemist’s dreams would be a possibility to escape to
Then I become the pearl-less and pearl-full oyster that clamps close form fear
Teasing myself to be fearless, to being to fear less
Yet bookended between the polarities of an eternal optimist and a once wounded pessimist
Wondering if your realization of my grounded instability would make you love me less.

I understand that to love you means to allow myself to risk suspension
In between the grays
Avoid running for the comfort of the black or white only days
Yet my confirmation to this invitation
Is also a response suspended in grays
For my colored words would give the impression that I have risen
Above all the emotions that make me human when in truth
I am simply a complex work in progress

I understand that while I choose to enter the space of authentic expressions
I am also a mere mortal conditioned to love only in one way

I understand that the heart is elastic and its ability to love more
should not be curbed but celebrated
yet I am simply a complex woman in love who would rather hear
that there was only room for me.

But I understand
Because to love you means to let you be
The person that your heart wills you to be.

How does this featured poem make you feel?

The Rebel in You

The Rebel in You

The Rebel in You

I want to be that voice in your head
that reverberates against convention
bellowing heavier and more poisonous than lead
in high pitched decibels cracking away at your apprehension
and lyrically coating your neural pathways
so you are connecting the dots in rhythm
and your thoughts carry you to a non-conformist ascension.

I want to be those tears forming in your eyes
that contain stories of resistance
to normative triggers in your tear glands
because each tear you shed is an emblem of your persistence
and the warm, salty trickle
carving invisible gorges down your face
remains an historical residue of your perseverance.

I want to be that bead of sweat collecting on your upper lip
that you let be to dry off at its own whim
or keep forming like morning dew on a leaf
because wiping if off would be a greater sin
than letting it gather as natural evidence
of the fervor and passion circulating within
rather than the dread and anxiety they believe in.

I want to be that single triple thump thump in your heart
that doctors believe is an arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat
yet you and I know that normality is overrated.

I want to be that clench in your fist
that fist at the bottom of your arms
that raises and divides water bodies.

I want to be that intense emotion that raises hair on your skin
that skin so thick
it chooses to fight when confronted with the possibility of flight.

I want to be that spasm in your neck
that sudden and uncontrollable contraction
that jolts you back into rebelliousness
stressing your near conforming muscle
back into six packs of defiance
lest your muscle memory forget
the radical gene you carry.

I want to be that vein that carries the revolutionary blood in you.
I want to be that rebel in you.

The Rebel in You

I want to be that voice in your head
that reverberates against convention
bellowing heavier and more poisonous than lead
in high pitched decibels cracking away at your apprehension
and lyrically coating your neural pathways
so you are connecting the dots in rhythm
and your thoughts carry you to a non-conformist ascension.

I want to be those tears forming in your eyes
that contain stories of resistance
to normative triggers in your tear glands
because each tear you shed is an emblem of your persistence
and the warm, salty trickle
carving invisible gorges down your face
remains an historical residue of your perseverance.

I want to be that bead of sweat collecting on your upper lip
that you let be to dry off at its own whim
or keep forming like morning dew on a leaf
because wiping if off would be a greater sin
than letting it gather as natural evidence
of the fervor and passion circulating within
rather than the dread and anxiety they believe in.

I want to be that single triple thump thump in your heart
that doctors believe is an arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat
yet you and I know that normality is overrated.

I want to be that clench in your fist
that fist at the bottom of your arms
that raises and divides water bodies.

I want to be that intense emotion that raises hair on your skin
that skin so thick
it chooses to fight when confronted with the possibility of flight.

I want to be that spasm in your neck
that sudden and uncontrollable contraction
that jolts you back into rebelliousness
stressing your near conforming muscle
back into six packs of defiance
lest your muscle memory forget
the radical gene you carry.

I want to be that vein that carries the revolutionary blood in you.
I want to be that rebel in you.